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SassyTravelBlog: Quito, Ecuador-SEA/Quito

Many years ago, I traveled to Europe on Continental Airlines and had HORRIBLE customer service. After 2 months of backpacking, living on pennies per day, I was tired and ready to be HOME. However, as we approached London Heathrow in the Tube, our train broke down, and we were stranded for an hour, causing us to be late for our flight. Even though the plane hadn’t left, our seats had been reassigned, and the ticketing agents were completely and utterly unhelpful and downright hostile toward two sunbaked, unkempt-looking twenty-somethings with filthy backpacks. I pleaded and cajoled, to no avail, and ended up suffering a complete meltdown. I placed a bankruptcy curse on Continental Airlines that day, and vowed NEVER to give them another red penny again.

I have successfully abided by my pledge for many, many years, but with United Airlines acquiring Continental, along with my inherent need to find the cheapest flight with the fewest stops, I broke down and booked with Continental to Quito. Aren’t grudges meant to fade over time?

I boarded the flight with trepidation, but found the first leg of the flight to Houston to be fantastic, greatly surpassing my expectations and beating all of my recent domestic flights by a long shot. Power outlets in each row, food available for purchase, no charge for our checked bags, movie screens for each seat with DirectTV and movies for only $6, fairly new plane. It was all good.

However, with my newly adjusted high expectations, there’s no place to go but down, and that’s just what we got on our flight from Houston to Quito.

This plane was so old, everything, including the shocks, were unpleasantly noisy. It bumped along on the runway, squeaking like an old VW bus. The retrofitted video players pixilated. The seat reclined, but had to be forced, by hand, to return to its full upright and locked position.

Everything felt a little musty and careworn. Not my preference at cruising altitude…I know, I’m prejudiced. I like shiny, new planes.

All this aside, I can deal with most things on planes, including the endlessly tantruming, shrieking toddlers across the aisle from us. The parents tried to console them by letting them play with the tray tables…lift it up, let it drop, lift it up, let it drop, again and again and again. How cute. Then they jumped up and down on their parents’ laps, holding the tops of the seats ahead of them, rocking the seats and giving a nice chair massage to the passengers sitting there. I’m sure they loved that.

But if that sounds unpleasant, you can’t even imagine what I dealt with. Check out this photo.

This large man did not fit well in his seat. Instead, he stood FACING me for FIVE HOURS on the flight to Quito, kneeling in his seat. While farting periodically. This is no exaggeration.

Isn’t there some sort of rule against public flatulence in confined spaces? How about invasion of personal space?

Needless to say, I arrived safely in Quito, nerves slightly rattled, but all in one piece. I’m grateful and ready to tackle whatever comes my way…..

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..